Waymo, the Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle manufacturer, is set to recall almost 3,900 of its robotaxis after software issues led some to drive into freeway construction zones, according to a filing with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The error has led to at least thirteen counts of vehicles not recognising construction signs for pre-planned works, entering and continuing to “drive at speed”, according to the document. The company noted in its description of the safety risk that “driving at speed in a freeway construction zone increases the potential for collisions”.
This is the second recall by the company in just over a month. In May, the company recalled 3,791 cars after one vehicle entered a flooded road in San Antonio.
In an emailed statement to CNBC, Waymo said: “We identified an area of improvement regarding performance around freeway construction zones. We voluntarily restricted freeway operations last month while making improvements, proactively notified state and federal regulators, and decided to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA. We continue to safely serve riders on surface streets in all the cities where we operate.”
The company has said it is working on a fix for the problem.
Waymo has expanded its robotaxi operations across US cities including San Francisco, Austin, and Miami and now provides over 500,000 paid trips per week. It has previously announced plans to expand to London in 2026, with trials currently taking place around the city. The company is in active talks with London mayor Sadiq Khan.
